Settled Too Soon

“Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.”
Genesis 11:31 (NIV)

Is there something God told you to do a year ago that you're still saying 'not yet' about?

God's instructions to Abraham couldn't have been clearer. “Leave your country, your people and your father's household. Go where I tell you. I'll let you know when you get there.” No footnotes and no negotiating room.

Genesis 12:4 starts strong, "So Abram went, as the LORD had told him." Then the quiet bomb drops, "and Lot went with him." Lot wasn't part of the deal. And it gets worse—instead of heading straight to Canaan, Abraham stops in Harran. He had his father with him, his nephew, the familiar comforts of family. So he settles. But God never said settle.

Abraham doubted that God would notice the detour.

That doubt sounds familiar, doesn't it? One Sunday you skip church because it's raining. One morning you skip your Bible because you're tired. One month you hold back on your giving because you’d like to wait until you make more money. You tell yourself God probably won't mind this one exception.

But God tests your faith in order to grow you. The devil tempts you to compromise you. Every detour has an address—and most of them are named Harran. So don't settle there. Canaan is still waiting.

What's your Harran? Name it. Maybe it’s the apology you owe someone. The small group you said you'd join, or the drinking you promised yourself you'd address. Don't live another month in the comfortable detour. God didn't call you to almost-obedience. He called you to Canaan. 

And no matter what challenges lie ahead, His promise never disappoints. 

Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your Word of truth. Teach me where I've stopped short of full obedience. I don't want to settle in Harran when You've called me to Canaan. Today I choose to keep moving. In Jesus' Name, Amen.